By Carol McIntire
Editor
February 2, 2010
The Carroll County Engineer continues to do more with less.
Engineer David Miskimen visited county commissioners last week to present his annual report and noted he has continued to decrease the size of his department through attrition. He said the 26 full-time employees of the highway department spent the most hours ever, 5,282, spot ditch cleaning and reshaping, chip and sealed 29.83 miles of county highway, motor paved a record 33.25 miles of county highway through contract, replaced 80 culvert pipes and spent 62 days on snow and ice control on county highways.
Miskimen said his department purchased a new machine called a “Dura-Patcher” that has worked out “extremely well.”
“Our men are all trained on the operation of the patcher and it has worked so well I’m considering purchasing another one,” the engineer stated. He said the department used 1,029 tons of #8 gravel, 6,704 gallons of one type of liquid asphalt and 29,070 gallons of another type of liquid asphalt for the machine.
He said the department was able to contract to have a record number of miles of highway paved because he held back over one and one-half years worth of Issue 2 paving funds because of the high cost of asphalt in 2008. “It paid off because asphalt was cheaper in 2009 and we were able to pave additional miles of highway,” he said, adding not to expect anything like that in 2010.
He said his office has three full-time employees in addition to himself who prepare payroll, statements for payment, billings and associated administrative work for the department’s $3.7 million budget.
In other business, commissioners heard a presentation by Bruce Tague, executive director of Sourcing Office, an organization that develops and implements cost savings opportunities for local government entities in the 16 Northeast Ohio counties. A relatively young program, Sourcing Office offers three programs, office supplies, comprehensive print management and an electricity plan (if the governmental agencies is within the First Energy Solutions service area). There is no cost to join, so commissioners agreed to investigate the office supply and print management programs.
-APPOINTED President Tom Wheaton and commissioners Doyle Hawk and Larry Garner to the Ohio Mid Eastern Governments membership board and Wheaton to the executive board with Wayne Chunat, county economic development director, as alternate.
-RESCINDED a previous motion and appointed Garner to the Multi County Attention System Board with Wheaton as alternate.
-APPROVED a contact between the Department of Job and Family Services and Downes Fishel and Haas for legal services.
-ANNOUNCED they plan to meet with representatives of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and individuals interested in Atwood Lake Resort and Conference Center this Thursday at 10 a.m. during their regularly scheduled meeting.
-WERE introduced to Shelley Martin, new director of the Carroll County Child Support Enforcement Agency by Don Burns, prosecuting attorney.
-APPROVED a resolution authorizing Tom Cottis, Emergency Management Agency (EMA) director to apply for a $12,000 grant from the state for the operation of the Carroll County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). Cottis noted there is no local match.
-MET in executive session with Burns to discuss pending litigation.
-CONDUCTED interviews with 12 applicants for the courthouse custodial position Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.
-RECEIVED the weekly dog pound report showing 23 impounded, 23 tagged, two redeemed and one put to sleep at the owner’s request. |
